Who Do I Trust to Protect My Privacy?Privacy Conversation Deliberative Forums

Presenting a New Project from the American Library Association (ALA) Center for Public Life/Libraries Fostering Civic Engagement Membership Initiative Group (MIG) and ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom

About the Project and about the Issue:

The ALA Membership Initiative Group (MIG), Libraries Fostering Civic Engagement is promoting public deliberation on the topic, Who Do I Trust My Privacy To? Using a discussion guide written by members, Nancy Kranich and Carolyn Caywood, participants will examine approaches to protecting privacy that relies on three possible strategies for protecting privacy:

Approach 1: The Marketplace

The marketplace is the source of innovation in security and privacy protection technology and it also has a vested interest in privacy that secures the integrity of financial data.

Approach 2: The Government

The government has a responsiblity to provide for public safety which includes identity protection and to secure the rights necessary to a free society.

Approach 3: Myself

I, myself, recognize that privacy values are individual and varied and that no one cares more about my needs than me.

The American Library Association’s Center for Public Life was established in 2010 in conjunction with the Kettering Foundation. The Center’s role is to train librarians from different types of libraries to convene and moderate deliberative forums and frame issues of local and national concern, using National Issues Forums materials and processes.

The American Democracy Project (ADP) is a multi-campus initiative focused on public higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens for our democracy. The project began in 2003 as an initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), in partnership with The New York Times.

The goal of the American Democracy Project is to produce graduates who are committed to being knowledgeable, involved citizens in their communities. Since its inception, ADP has hosted 13 national and 18 regional meetings, a national assessment project, and hundreds of campus initiatives including voter education and registration, curriculum revision projects, campus audits, special days of action and reflection, speaker series and many recognition and award programs.